A Day In The Surfing Life // Luke Gartside

Our day starts the evening before, as is often the case for Luke, as he co-ordinates surfers for an early meet-up with multiple messages confirming location and subjects. This is the life of one of the few people who get to state “surf photographer” as their job title.

“When there’s a photographer or filmer involved we’ll work with the surfers to make the call on where to go, as we’ve got a whole load of other elements beyond the wave quality to consider when trying to get the best shot”

Luke drives a pretty nondescript car, which is good because if his ride was recognisable he’d have a tailback of surf traffic following him every time he headed out of town, such is his detailed knowledge of where the best waves will be each day. Where many surfers have their local spot or a few breaks dialled in, Luke has his finely tuned finger on the pulse of damn near every break in Cornwall, and beyond. Somehow he manages to stay under the radar, but if you see him at the spot you are about to paddle out at then you can rest assured that you’re probably at the best break going.

“I either pick a zone where I know the banks or the waves will be good and get in touch with some of the crew in that area, which is how I do it most of the time because it’s more sensitive to the local surfers, or I’ll pair up with a surfer and go on the hunt,” he says when asked about how he makes those calls. “I’m constantly keeping track of who’s had a good session and where for the forecast, and for some of the rarer gems on our coast I keep notes of the conditions when they were working well so I know the bare minimum it will take for them to be breaking and worth taking a punt on.”

Unsurprisingly, if there’s swell then Luke starts his day checking the buoys for the most accurate and up to date swell data. On this morning in early summer, Luke had organised to meet with C-Skins team-rider Logan Nicol at a roadside cliff-top vantage spot at 7:30am; not the earliest that it could have been out for the time of year, but the tides played in the favour of sleep. Logan was down visiting Cornwall from Wales for a few days to see his shaper Luke Hart, and Luke took the opportunity to shoot some sessions with him.

As well as all of the surf-specific variables that Luke processes in his decision-making, he also has a parallel line of thought as a photographer, considering the quality of light, the direction of light, and backdrops or features of interest that he can include in his compositions. He isn’t usually one to crop in tight on the action, instead telling more of a story of the surfer within a landscape. Whilst Luke does swim out and shoot from the water, he’s probably best known for his shots from land that include elements of foreground or background whilst being mindful of making a spot too easily recognisable. He couldn’t have risen to his position as one of, if not the, foremost surf photographer in the UK if wasn’t sensitive to surf communities and their spots. Luke is well respected not only for his exemplary photography, but for how he conducts himself within the scene.

On this morning, the swell is still packing some punch but is raggedy and not very lined up. There are waves, but at the open beach that we’re scoping the playing field is massive and it looks like a bit of a lottery. But the chances of getting anything better with this swell on this stage of tide is slim, and rather than lose an hour driving to surf somewhere just the same but with some different rocks and probably more people in the background, the call is made to get in here. With his eye for a backdrop and a long lens on his camera, Luke sets about hunting down a vantage point to shoot from. With up to 800mm of zoom on the front of his Canon, he has the option to set himself up at the far end of the beach to the peak that Logan and crew are paddling out at, hundreds of meters away from the action but with the best composition. He ranges about to get a variety of angles as the tide drops out, sure-footedly clambering around on the rocks like a mountain goat.

Luke gets a few shots that he’s happy with – one of Logan boosting a nice straight air. “Even if I don’t get any A+ images, it’s always, always worth it,” he reflects over a takeaway coffee cup in a nearby bakery after the session. “Every session adds to my accumulated knowledge of a spot or a surfer, and if you’re not out there trying then the chances of getting one of those stand-out shots gets smaller and smaller.”

The life of a freelance photographer can be hard enough, but for one whose work is tied so tightly to the weather, there is a whole other level of flexibility required. If there are waves, then Luke is out there. “Swells don’t last forever, so if there are waves then I’ll try to be out shooting. I’ll edit in the evenings, and save long deadline projects or writing gigs for the days when the surf’s no good.” In the UK we get our fair share of those days, so Luke always has a flow of other work or projects on the go. He’s edited a book (The Surf Atlas, a large hardcover coffee-table book published by Gestalten), and as the former editor of Wavelength Magazine he is in demand as a surf writer pulling threads on stories to create long form feature articles. “I’ve always got a load of ideas for stories and articles written down as notes or on my phone waiting for the right time or opportunity to produce or pitch them.”

On this day, the rain that’s forecast arrives on cue. Luke’s planning to surf South Fistral in the afternoon as the weather probably won’t make for good photos. In the end, he’s tempted down the coast by another surfer and the promise of a good bank. The surf has cleaned up a bit, and in spite of the rain Luke gets a shot that Surfline feature. “It’s always worth it,” as Luke stated that very morning.

Take a look at more of Luke's photography, including snippets of his work for C-Skins, over on his Instagram.